A Glimpse of the Future
by Prattitude
Summary: Before he was Kylo Ren, Ben Solo struggled with the everyday challenges of being a Jedi, a Solo and a Skywalker. Guided by his uncle Luke Skywalker, Ben begins to lose control.
1. Chapter 1

A Glimpse of the Future  
Thomas Terrazas

"Breathe," Luke Skywalker said as he looked upon his new apprentice with a sigh. "Just... breathe. What do you see?"

Luke watched the boy's face swim with confusion as he replied, eyes shut, facing away from his uncle.

"I... darkness," Ben exclaimed, his closed eyes widening behind pallid eyelids. "Just... darkness."

Luke nodded; he'd expected this from the beginning. But he was not afraid.

"Reach out, focus," he said as he touched his hand to his chin and crossed his arms. "Search your feelings."

Suddenly, Luke felt it surge up through young Ben like a hot wave. The anger. Ben bit down, the muscles in his neck straining with effort. Luke could see the blue veins against his pale skin, bulging, threatening to burst free at any moment.

"Concentrate," he goaded. "You must learn to clear your thoughts!"

"I'm... trying," the boy replied, his hands opening and clenching shut. "There's something else."

Luke nodded. "Light," he said, sure in his assessment. But the welling of Ben's contemptuous rage did not dispel. It almost became unbridled, like a wild horse running free across the plains of Naboo.

"No," Ben replied. "A man... a mask. He's only breathing."

The boy gasped for breath as if he'd been sucker punched in the stomach. Luke, startled, took a quick step towards his nephew. He placed a hand on his shoulder, shuddered and stepped back. He felt it too. A presence he'd not felt whole since his first battle on Bespin amongst the clouds. Cold. Mechanical. He could hear the creaking of gilded joints staggering in the darkness. Could feel the cold sting of the carbon freezing chamber.

He could hear the breathing too.

It was then that Luke realized that Ben's eyes were wide open, but that the boy saw nothing besides the cold shell of a man who offered no comfort or joy, only pain and self-loathing. The dark side.

The steel floor that Ben sat upon cracked, and his hair flew out behind him as if blown by a heavy wind. Chairs and gadgets were thrown about in all directions, forcing the Jedi Master to duck away and fall on his backside.

"Stop!" Luke shouted as he propped himself up, but Ben was beyond hearing.

And then it was over. The room returned to the way it was, all except for the cracks in the floor.

Timidly and with great care, Luke allowed himself to stand and approach his nephew. Young Ben sat in the same seated position, a stoic statue from behind. Luke wasn't sure he was even breathing until he heard the telling sniffle of a stifled sob.

"Ben?" Luke asked.

The boy turned around slowly, letting his thick black hair flow away naturally instead of the dramatic flipping Luke had become used to. The boy's eyes were blood shot, ringed in red, but Luke saw no traces of the telling yellow he had heard of from Old Ben many years ago.

"It was him... wasn't it?" The boy spoke, his voice hoarse, making him sound ages older than he was. "My grandfather."

For the first time since the fall of the Emperor, Luke felt utterly powerless. He took another tentative step, and then another, noting the boy's unwavering gaze until he at last stood beside him.

"No," he said. "Your grandfather was Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight and a good man."

"Darth Vader," Ben said aloud almost to himself. "That's who he became," he continued, looking up at his uncle.

Luke nodded.

"Tell me about him," Ben said.

Luke narrowed his eyes. "It would be best to speak about that..."

"I want to know," Ben shouted. "I have a right to know!"

"Do not let your anger take hold of you, Ben." Luke raised his voice in response, quieting the young Jedi and causing him to turn away.

Luke hated this part. The training. He'd learned from the greatest Jedi to ever live. He'd learned to control his power and use it to protect the ones that he loved. It had taken him awhile, and he had been impatient. Perhaps some of that impatience was simply part of who he was.

He calmed himself, and knelt beside his nephew, who had at this point crossed his arms. Luke noticed the tear streaks on the young boy's face. Had they been there all along?

"I forget sometimes," he said calmly. "That you aren't just a Jedi, or my nephew. You're a person.

"And I'm sorry."

Ben turned to face his uncle and saw real genuine care in the aging Jedi's smile.

"I'm sorry too," he mumbled. "I was frightened."

"To feel fear is natural," Luke said, rising. "But you mustn't allow fear to take hold and control you. Fear leads to the dark side."

"Is that how he fell?" Ben asked.

Luke nodded and said, "My father feared the loss of my mother. It drove him to betray his friends, and led to her death anyway.

"If you take anything from this vision you had," Luke continued. "Understand that just because we are of the same blood, doesn't mean that we have to turn out like those who've come before us. We can choose our own path."

There was a long pause before Luke extended his hand and Ben took it and stood, his head only just coming up to Luke's shoulders.

"You're getting taller every day," Luke said, rustling Ben's hair. "Pretty soon you'll be taller than me. Maybe even as tall as Chewie."

Ben laughed a short, stifled choking laugh and Luke grinned from ear to ear.

"Alright, let's get back to it," he said as Ben retook his seated position in the Jedi training hall. Luke watched the boy's frame rise and fall with heavy, deep breaths and said

"Breathe... just breathe."

And he heard the mechanical breathing of his father.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Luke hadn't felt this challenged since his first encounter with his father on Bespin all those years ago. As his arms worked tirelessly to defend himself, Luke found himself slipping deeper and deeper into the unconscious sense of selflessness and focus that was the force. It was as if the will of the force itself was guiding his sword arm, blending his instincts and training with the deeper insight that the force allowed. His lightsaber danced with such fluidity and grace that the Jedi Master was almost astonished. In his old age, such combat had become more laborious, but his breathing was even and his heart rate calm. It was as if the force was willing him to battle against a great evil.

But that couldn't be true, he thought as he deflected a blow from his nephew. Luke shook himself free of the grasp of the force for a moment, and allowed himself to soak in the image.

Bathed in sweat, a young Ben Solo moved with the ferocity of a Loth wolf and the hulking mass of a Wampa.

His long hair whipped around violently, flinging beads of moisture into the air and his muscles spasmed and worked with great effort. Through the force Luke could feel frustration radiating from his apprentice, but it didn't show on Ben's face. Only a grim determination lingered there. It reminded Luke of the way Han flew the Falcon when the chips were down.

It also reminded him of the stories that Ben Kenobi had told him about a young Anakin. About Darth Vader.

It wasn't obvious, Obi Wan had said. At first there were subtle tells. The frustration, impatience and over zealous determination that he'd written off as the ambitions of a young man. And while Obi Wan had never felt any disturbance in the force until that moment on Coruscant, watching his apprentice take to the younglings, Luke knew that deep down his old teacher probably always knew something wasn't quite right.

It was exactly how Luke felt in this very moment.

What had begun as a simple sparring match between friends seemed to have evolved into a mad scramble... for what? To prove himself? Ben was ambitious and reckless but always sure of his skill. Though his students had only just learned to craft a lightsaber, Ben had been practicing with Luke's for quite some time. His own weapon was a bright blue in contrast to the emerald saber that Luke constructed, and Ben wielded it so proficiently that Luke knew Ben had surpassed him in his twenties.

Suddenly Luke realized he'd made an error. Fighting for a deeper understanding, he had once again not remained where he was. Yoda's voice echoed in his ears as Ben swiped at his head, nearly connecting.

"Where he was! What he was doing!"

Luke's balance shifted backwards, and Ben was upon him like a spider who'd waited for a fly to become entangled in it's web. The predatory air that he'd felt looming over his apprentice flashed clearly in his mind. The dark side enveloped his nephew.

It wasn't the first time he'd felt the surge of anger in the young man. Luke taught his students to stave off the allure of the easy path, but there was too much Leia, too much Han in Ben. Born to two renegade parents, Luke had known when the boy first showed signs of force sensitivity that it would be an uphill battle to teach him humility and patience.

So he'd held back. Luke had never had any extensive training in lightsaber combat. His skills were honed in the fires of battle. Tempered in his losses, both physical and emotional.

Combat for Luke was born of necessity but driven by instinct and the guidance of the force. After defeating Vader and the Emperor, Luke had not met anyone who could have helped him to perfect his swordsmanship. Instead, he delved into the complex mysteries of the force, soaking up as much knowledge as he could so that he could pass on what he had learned.

So his teachings with Ben and the other students naturally reflected just that; the pacifist ways that the Jedi should exemplify in Luke's opinion. Luke's dealings with a lightsaber had only ever lured him to the dark side. Though he'd fought against it, even he had been tempted by the dark promises of power. He'd even used it to defeat his father over Endor in the Emperor's throne room.

So when his pupils probed about building their own Lightsabers, Luke was not motivated to allow it. To him, the lightsaber was a means of attack, which was not the Jedi way. In the end, it was Ben's proficiency and dedication to the weapon that pushed Luke over the precipice. Nudged him in the wrong direction. When he watched Ben work through his training with such drive he realized that the weapon allowed Ben to focus. It was the only reason that the old Jedi Master caved. Despite his hope that the Lightsaber would help refocus and bring his nephew clarity, he knew back then that he'd regret his decision at one point.

That time had come.

As he toppled backwards, Luke reached out with the force to maintain his balance. So in tune was he that despite being pushed back by his physically stronger apprentice, Luke was able to stop his fall and get his feet under him.

Ben stopped his push for a moment and watched in awe as his uncle floated nearly horizontal to the ground for a moment and then returned to a defensive stance as if he'd never lost his balance at all. With a hiss, Luke's emerald blade slid away and the old Jedi Master let out a disappointed sigh.

"We're done for the day," Luke said. Despite the groans of his other students, Luke whirled around and started to walk away.

"I defeated you," Ben stammered, confusion and anger catching in his vocal chords.

"You allowed the dark side to guide your hand," Luke stopped and said calmly. "Your aggression and ambition... it's not the Jedi way."

The two stood staring at each other without a word for a few moments. Luke crossed his arms over his chest and Ben clenched his jaw, a raw intensity glazing over his eyes.

And then, a flash of yellow.

Luke said nothing. His mind was clouded, his own fears seemed to be unraveling before him. He turned away and started towards his own quarters.

"We're not done yet!" Ben shouted, and his voice echoed off the durasteel walls of the training arena. Luke stopped dead, a chill ran up his spine. It was as if he'd heard those words before.

The Jedi master glanced over his shoulder at Ben Solo, and the remaining students. Their innocent expressions were peppered with confusion, sadness, fear and contempt for Ben. The lion of a young man stood a head taller than all of them, his bare chest thrust forward, his fists clenched and his blue saber still pulsing in front of him. He pointed it at Luke.

In the past, Luke would have laughed and cited his old master, but his master's wise words rarely helped when dealing with his student. He was sure now more than ever that cryptic wisdom was not the answer.

"Put it away Ben," he scoffed. Luke turned to the other students, shuffling nervously in the morning mist.

"Is this the example you would set for them?" Luke asked Ben with an open hand. "Go back to your quarters," he said to the students.

"No, I want them to stay," Ben growled. "It's been months since they've built their Lightsabers. They deserve to be taught _something!_ "

Ben turned to his fellow Jedi and opened his arms wide, imploring them for help before spinning back on his master. Luke stood stalwart, his hands locked together hanging limply from the arms they hung from.

"So this frustration is selfless?" Luke asked, ignoring his Padawan's rage. "It seems to me that you've taught them plenty today."

Luke let his statement hang in the air for a moment, his heart breaking with every word.

"You're a Jedi," Luke sighed. "You must be patient and set a good example... you must _all_ be patient. Or have I truly taught you nothing?"

The children turned in on themselves, their expressions shifting from frustration to self loathing and reflection. For a second, Luke thought that he'd won.

Until Ben charged straight at him.

Luke's saber was in his hand before he could think. Guided by the force, Luke quickly disarmed his student with a flick of his wrist. Ben's lightsaber flew free from his grasp and the young man stumbled forward crashing into the ground. Ben spun onto his back and looked up at Luke with accusing eyes.

And for a moment something inside him urged Luke to strike, as if the will of the force itself was trying to tell him something. Prevent something. Luke grimaced and slowly lowered his sword until he had the strength of will to turn it off. He belted the lightsaber and called Ben's into his own hand with the force.

"A Jedi weapon," he said, "is to be used in defense, _never_ for attack."

Luke tossed the lightsaber at Ben and the young Jedi caught it deftly.

"I hope that for once, you heed my lesson," he said.

Not knowing if he had the strength to endure anymore of his nephew's glare, Luke turned to go, knowing full well that this wouldn't be the end of things.


End file.
